Keep Comparison, The Joy Thief, at Bay

Hello and welcome back to A Mad Vox NaNoWriMo Edition.

This is the 20th day of NaNoWriMo. And today's episode will focus on keeping the 'joy thief' at bay. what do I mean by this?

At this point on the 20th day, you're probably seeing a lot of people who have word counts in the 30, 40, and 50 thousand realm and beyond posting on the forums, and the Facebook group and other places and you're looking at that thinking I'm not there yet and feeling some kind of way.

I'm here to reset those expectations that again, doing NaNoWriMo is more like doing a marathon rather than a sprint.
You're attempting to write 50K words in a month! that's something to celebrate!

Getting your creativity exercised and down on the paper or on the blank screen is something that should fill you with happiness.

No one can write a story like only you can. Considering everyone in the world, not that many people have taken the action of starting a novel.

And those who have, have banded together in a single group of support and passion to share their gifts with each other, and with the world. That's something that's so exciting.

Anyone and everyone who takes the time and puts in the effort can win NaNoWriMo. If one person crosses the finish line ahead of a little bit ahead of someone else that doesn't negate the ability of anyone else to finish.

Now, in the middle of the month seeing the finish line so far away as well as being so far beyond the start of the month can make you feel a little alone.

The excitement from the kick off of the event has died down and it's in that part where you're just writing by yourself it seems. Should you feel less happy about your progress when you see that other writers have crossed the finish line sooner?

Example

If you're running a marathon and you run a 10 min mile and you find other people can run a marathon and run 8 min miles. Should you feel less joy crossing the finish line before they've run it faster.
No!
-
Every single person who crosses that finish line deserves to be cheered on and be filled with the joy that they've put in the work and made the effort and they have done it. Remember there's no prize for speed., only finishing. There are lots of ways to reach the finish line with the support of the NaNo community, of the community of your friends and family, and also of the community of readers who really want to hear your story.

Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."

I want you to remember over the next few days that the joy is in the journey. If you're anything like someone we know you started this challenge because you wanted to do something ambitious and push yourself as a writer to your limit and beyond.
I believe you can do this!

Let's keep the joy thief at bay and let the only person you compare your writing to be yourself.
If you look at where you were one month ago compared to where you are now, you can't help but see that what you've done is amazing.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Leave a comment on this episode's page. For reference, it's Episode 20 on podcast.amadvox.com

If you find the show of value please consider rating and reviewing it in your favorite podcatcher app and sharing it with a friend.

Thanks and I'll see you tomorrow.

You can find A Mad Vox on

Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere you get your podcasts.

If you are a subscriber and find the show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider leaving a rating and a review to help others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you!

Get the future of podcasts.